Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The men in black below were sticking their butts out, carefully stuffing the ball into the corner of the wall.

The movements were quite professional; it's obvious they've done this kind of despicable thing quite often.

"Feed".

Su Qing spat out the sunflower seed shells and called out lightly.

The leader of the men in black trembled and almost set the fireball in his hand on fire.

He looked up abruptly and saw a woman in red squatting above him, staring at them with a smile, as if she were watching a monkey show.

"Who!" the man in black hissed, reaching for his sword.

Su Qing did not give him a chance to draw his sword.

She leaped down from the tree, her red dress billowing, and landed on the shoulder of the leader.

With a crisp "crack," the man didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed to his knees, his kneecaps shattered.

Upon seeing this, the remaining men in black immediately pulled out their tinderboxes and prepared to ignite the lightning bombs.

"Playing with fire and wetting the bed, haven't you heard of that?"

Su Qing's figure flashed, as fast as a red lightning bolt.

After a few muffled thuds, several men in black collapsed to the ground, clutching their stomachs, curled up like boiled shrimp.

Su Qing picked up the fire grenade from the ground and weighed it in her hand: "Wow, military stuff, pretty powerful. If this explodes, will I still be able to eat my two roast chickens?"

The leader of the men in black was sweating profusely from the pain, gritting his teeth and remaining silent.

"I know even without you saying it, it's from the Second Prince's residence, isn't it?" Su Qing squatted down, stuffed the fireball into the man's crotch, and pulled out the fuse a bit. "Go back and tell your master, it's only polite to return the favor."

"What...what are you going to do!" The man in black stared wide-eyed in terror.

"I'll take you home."

Su Qing stood up, kicked out, and slammed her foot hard into the man's buttocks.

"Get out of here!"

The man in black flew like a kicked football, tracing a perfect parabola as he headed straight for the Second Prince's residence.

The remaining few didn't escape either; each of them received a kick, sending them all flying into the air.

The fuse burned out in mid-air.

"boom!"

A dazzling firework exploded in the sky above the Second Prince's residence.

Then came several more loud explosions, and flames shot into the sky.

Su Qing clapped her hands, sat back down on the tree branch, and grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds: "These fireworks were really loud."

……

The news spread throughout the capital early the next morning.

Last night, the Second Prince's residence was struck by divine retribution. A lightning bolt, of unknown origin, landed squarely in the outhouse in the backyard.

The second prince was squatting inside contemplating life when he was suddenly covered in excrement from the explosion. It is said that he fainted from the shock and the stench.

At this moment, in a side hall of the Second Prince's residence.

Li Xuan took eight baths, but the odor on his body was still faintly noticeable.

He sat in the armchair with a dark expression, holding a teacup in his hand, his knuckles white.

"Those two scholars! I, the prince, will kill you! I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Your Highness, please calm down." A strategist with a goatee stepped forward and said cautiously, "Su Qing's cultivation is unfathomable. We're likely to suffer losses in a direct confrontation. Besides, what about the Imperial Preceptor..."

"The Imperial Advisor! The Imperial Advisor again!" Li Xuan slammed his teacup to the ground. "Am I just going to swallow this insult?"

"Of course not." The strategist smiled sinisterly. "If we can't do it openly, we'll do it covertly. Isn't Gu Xiang going to take the imperial examination? Let's ruin his reputation."

Li Xuan's eyes lit up: "How so?"

The strategist pulled a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve: "This is 'A Night's Worth of Gold' from the Western Regions. It's colorless and odorless, but just one whiff can turn even the most chaste and virtuous woman into a harlot. All we need to do is..."

He whispered a few words in Li Xuan's ear.

Li Xuan beamed, his gloom vanishing completely: "Good! That's settled then! I want everyone in the capital to see just how despicable these so-called talented men and beautiful women really are behind the scenes!"

……

The most bustling street in the capital, Zhuque Avenue.

Gu Xiang clutched the money bag tightly, looking at Su Qing in front of him with a wary expression.

"Miss Su, let's go back. I have clothes to wear. This long gown may be a bit old, but it's clean and nothing to be ashamed of."

Su Qing turned around and glared at him: "Your clothes are all faded from washing, and the cuffs are even frayed. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm abusing my sworn brother. Hurry up, stop dawdling."

"But...the clothes here are too expensive!" Gu Xiang's heart bled as she looked at the shop signs by the roadside. "A robe costs fifty taels of silver! That's fifty taels! Enough for our village to eat for a year!"

"It's not your money, why are you so upset?" Su Qing grabbed his collar and dragged him into the largest clothing store in the capital, "Jinxiufang".

As soon as the two entered, the shopkeeper immediately went to greet them, his smile brighter than any flower: "Gentlemen, what would you like to see? We've just received several bolts of the finest Shu brocade..."

Su Qing waved her hand: "Pick a few decent ones for him, nothing too flashy, something that makes him look... well, a bit like a refined scoundrel."

Gu Xiang: "..."

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then understood: "I understand, I understand. Please come with me, we have a quiet fitting room here."

Gu Xiang was pushed inside by Su Qing, and he felt that the shopkeeper's smile was a little creepy.

After passing through several corridors, the shopkeeper led the two to a luxuriously decorated secret room: "Gentlemen, there are all kinds of ready-made clothes in here. Please feel free to try them on. I will wait outside."

Su Qing didn't stand on ceremony and pushed the door open to enter.

Gu Xiang had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow them in.

The secret room was large, with clothes hanging on all four walls, a soft couch in the middle, and an incense burner in the corner.

"This smell..." Su Qing twitched her nose and a mischievous smile appeared on her lips.

Gu Xiang was still feeling the pinch of the money, touching the fabric of a robe and sighing, "Such good material, what if it gets damaged when made into clothes? It's such a waste, such a waste."

Just then, the stone door behind them suddenly crashed down with a loud bang.

Gu Xiang was startled and quickly ran over to push the door, but it didn't budge.

"Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! Why is the door closed?" Gu Xiang shouted, banging on the door.

No one responded.

"Stop shouting." Su Qing walked to the soft couch, sat down, and crossed her legs. "They're trying to trap us like dogs."

"Huh?" Gu Xiang looked completely bewildered. "Why? We don't owe any money."

Su Qing pointed to the incense burner in the corner: "Can you smell it? There's something added to this incense."

Gu Xiang sniffed: "It smells nice... Hey? Why is it a little hot?"

He tugged at his collar, feeling as if his body was on fire, a surge of heat rushing from his lower abdomen to his head.

The scene before my eyes began to blur, and the clothes that were originally hanging on the wall seemed to be dancing.

He turned to look at Su Qing.

Upon seeing this, Gu Xiang nearly lost his mind.

The fierce Su Qing he knew had suddenly become incredibly alluring in his eyes.

Her red skirt resembled a blooming flower, her fair neck gleamed alluringly, and her eyes were like hooks, making his heart itch with desire.

"Miss Su... Miss Su..." Gu Xiang swallowed hard, her voice trembling, "You... how could you..."

Su Qing was secretly delighted to see Gu Xiang's flushed face.

This cheap, low-grade sleeping potion wasn't even enough to fill a tooth gap for a nine-tailed celestial fox like her.

However, the medicine was indeed quite potent, making her feel slightly feverish.

"What's wrong with me?" Su Qing deliberately softened her voice, looking at Gu Xiang with seductive eyes. "Gu Lang, are you hot?"

That one call of "Gu Lang" made Gu Xiang's bones melt.

"I'm not hot! I'm not hot!" Gu Xiang suddenly turned around and began slapping himself wildly against the wall. "Gu Xiang! You beast! What are you thinking! That's your sworn sister! That's Miss Su!"

"Slap! Slap!"

The sound of the slap was crisp and loud.

Su Qing almost burst out laughing.

That idiot, he's really ruthless to himself.

"Gu Lang, don't hit yourself, it will break my heart." Su Qing stood up, walked behind Gu Xiang, and gently stroked his back with her finger.

Gu Xiang shuddered as if she had been electrocuted, jumped back, shrank into the corner, covered her head with her hands, and muttered something under her breath.

"Wealth and honor cannot corrupt him, poverty and hardship cannot sway him, power and force cannot subdue him... Confucius said: Do not look at what is contrary to propriety, do not listen to what is contrary to propriety, do not speak what is contrary to propriety, do not do what is contrary to propriety..."

He memorized it incredibly fast, speaking at a machine gun pace, interspersed with a few suppressed growls.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Su Qing's mischievousness kicked in completely.

She knelt down in front of Gu Xiang, leaned close to his ear, and gently blew a breath: "Silly boy, what's the use of reciting books? Shouldn't we be doing something fun at a time like this?"

Gu Xiang suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and blood streaming down his nose.

"Miss Su! You...you need to wake up! We've fallen into a trap!" Gu Xiang gritted her teeth, pulled a wooden hairpin from her hair, and was about to stab herself in the thigh. "I need to stay awake! I can't do anything to betray you!"

Before the hairpin could be inserted, it was grasped by a fair hand.

Looking at Gu Xiang's resolute expression, Su Qing was suddenly moved.

This fool, though pedantic and stingy, has a truly tough backbone.

"Alright, I was just kidding."

Su Qing gently touched his brow with her finger, and a cool spiritual energy instantly flowed into Gu Xiang's body.

Gu Xiang felt a jolt in his mind, and the burning sensation subsided considerably.

The illusion vanished, and Su Qing was still Su Qing, still stunningly beautiful, but that captivating and alluring charm was gone.

"Miss Su...?" Gu Xiang gasped for breath, looking completely bewildered. "I...I just..."

"You almost crippled yourself just now." Su Qing put the hairpin back in his hair and patted his face. "You're hopeless."

Gu Xiang's face flushed red, and he quickly wiped away the blood from his nose.

"What... what's going on?"

"What else could it be? Someone wants to see us make a fool of ourselves." Su Qing stood up, straightened her skirt, and said, "Since they want to see a show, then we'll put on a good one for them."

……

Outside.

The Second Prince, Li Xuan, listened intently to the stone door for a long time, but there was no sound from inside.

"What's going on? The medicine hasn't taken effect yet?" Li Xuan asked the strategist beside him, frowning.

"That's impossible," the strategist said, equally puzzled. "This 'One Night Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold' drug is extremely potent; even a bull would go into heat by now. Could it be that the dosage wasn't enough?"

"Never mind!" Li Xuan waved his hand. "It's about time. Guards! Break down the door! I received a report that someone is engaging in lewd behavior in broad daylight, corrupting the morals of the capital! Arrest them!"

"yes!"

The Shen Du Guards, who had been lying in ambush nearby, and a group of onlookers rushed forward.

"boom!"

The stone gate was violently smashed open.